of 2015, the coming election should be an opportunity for Igbo to mend
or further mar their chances in a Nigeria that is built on
multi-ethnic chassis. Will it be a period for Igbo to undo the
mistakes they did to themselves in 2015, which has worsened their
fate? Will Ndigbo use that golden opportunity to make political peace
with the rest of Nigeria and most importantly, signify their intent,
their readiness, and their suitability to handle the baton in 2023? Or
will Ndigbo fail to seize the current and rather make another
egregious political miscalculation that will reduce their chances of
leading the country in 2023? These are critical questions, whose
answers are still whirling in the wind but which, one way or the
other, must be answered by how well the Igbo play their card in 2019.
To be clear, Igbo made an egregious mistake in 2015, by packing all
their political eggs in one fragile basket. Call it political naivety.
Call it political myopia or anything but it was a costly mistake that
boomeranged. The ripple effects of that regrettable political mistake
resonate in the noisomeclanging the Igbo have made their primary
business in Nigeria since 2015. That mistake finds expression in a
poorly articulated and awfully hatched Biafranutopia, whose
contradictions charges fully at the chaotic demand for it. Ndigbomay
strives to underplay the effects of the 2015 political mistake but the
acrimonious darts and furious allegations of marginalization and
dissenting clamors that emanated after the 2015 election show that
Igbo is faced with the consequences of its political choice in the
last election. As escapist as the Biafra agitation is, Ndigbo must
stay in Nigeria and fight it out with other constituent units.
Demanding to be given Biafra, with all the inchoate arguments and the
real promises of a more conflicting life in said Biafra, if granted,
amounts to a defeatist way of walking away from a problem one
inflicted on oneself and which one must confront.
To get what they desire or what belongs to them in Nigeria, Ndigbo
must realize that there is no shortcut; there is no room for the
self-pity, which had dotted most of their agitations since 2015. There
is no room for beggarly appeal. There is no room for the victim
mentality the race has stubbornly stuck to. There is no room for the
kind of group think Ndigbo have adopted since 2015.Ndigbo must realize
that they will make their bed in Nigeria the way they want to lie on
it. In politics, power is never given on a platter of gold. It doesn’t
come for free. It doesn’t land on your laps just because you have made
enough appeal to be pitied by others. It doesn’t come to you because
you have made the loudest noise. It doesn’t come to you because you
have cried loudest. It struggled for and the best way to struggle for
power is for a race to first, embrace introspection. This is a time
the race goes into its inner covens, reviews its moves and strategies
so far, tells itself the home truth and adopts new, workable and
acceptable strategies to get what it wants.
Sadly, one of the major deficiencies Igbo have is the lack of capacity
for introspection. Igbo have not yet fangled out a forum where it
looks itself in the mirror and tells itself the truth, no matter how
unpalatable it may be. This deficiency has accounted for why any
reprobate, miscreant and scoundrel seizes the center stage, with cheap
popular mantra and every other person follows. This is the sad stage
Igbo are today and this can never elevate the race in any sphere of
human endeavor, talk less of politics. Igbo must recreate its society
and allow the philosopher-king to assume his rightful place to dictate
where and how the society is headed. Igbo must disperse the illiterate
rabble that has seized its throne and get for themselves a credible
leadership that would not shirk from telling them the unpalatable
truth and exile the rabble from the throne to the lowest rung of the
society where it belongs. A tail does not wag the dog, as we are
seeing in Igboland today.
Next, Igbo must evolve a credible political leadership that is not
ruled by selfish and narrow interests and who will not sink the
collective ship for itself-interest. This blight has been the singular
most portent atrophy that has held Igbo down at present. Those clubs
of evergreen political profiteers who have made a life business of
making a profit from Ndigbo must be retired. This emergent political
leadership must sit down and mobilize the good brains in Igboland to
chart a political way forward. No one should be afraid of hearing
dissenting opinions on how best to achieve the goals. No one should
seek to take the quest to the unthinking mob, believing to reap the
aftermath. This is what led Igbo to the political valley it is in
today. Whatever political roadmap Ndigbo comes up, en route and beyond
2019 should take full regard that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and
multi-cultural entity so whatever political course must adequately
take care of the interests, the fears, and the assurances of other
ethnic groups. It must, while attending to the Igbo political needs,
accommodate the fears and interests of others.
Then, Igbo must follow up by identifying political platforms that will
make it practically possible for them to realize their interests and
build support for that platform. This, by no means, will amount to
outlawing other platforms but rather the concentration of efforts at
supporting or building such identified platform. Such platform could
be APC, PDP, APGA or any other platform but Ndigbo must ensure they
live with the consequences of supporting such platform and living with
the aftermaths and not sulk or seek dismemberment because their chosen
platform lost in an election. That means more than a narrow
perspective will come into play in deciding what platform Igbo need to
back to realize their political ambitions in Nigeria.
Based on the choice of platform, which I presume, must be built on
futurestrengths and prospects, Ndigbo should proceed immediately to
repair and rebuild damaged bridges with every other ethnic group in
Nigeria. Igbo should employ its brightest and best for this task and
ensure that no stone is leftunturned in cementing the deep crevices
that have been carelessly created inthe bridge that links Ndigbo and
other ethnic groups in Nigeria. The aim is toeliminate mutual
suspicion, anger, and acrimony with other Nigerians for the2019 and
subsequent elections. Bridges mended, Ndigbo should look deep enough
to get the best Igbo that is not only Igbo enough but trusted by other
ethnic groups to steer the Nigerian ship to fruitful anchor and
prepare such person forthe 2023 presidency.
With the foregoing, Ndigbo can gointo the 2019 election with a deep
conviction that whatever move they make in2019 will affect the future
relationship between Igbo and other Nigerians and of course, prepare
the grounds for the long expected Igbo presidency in 2023. Igbo should
note that how well they play the 2019 card will determine how they
achieve the 2023 goal. If they misuse their cards again in 2019, they
mustembrace the reality that their 2023 quest for the nation’s
presidency will get greatly damaged.
On the other hand, if Igbo elects to approach the 2019 election with
thereigning post-2015 election mindset, with the grudge, bitterness
and deep-seethedanger they are carrying over from their historical
mistake of 2015, then theyshould be prepared to warm that role longer
than 2023. After 2023, they willrealize the truth in the saying that
power is never surrendered on a platter ofgold. One has to work to get
the power he dreams of. Again, it is verydifficult in Nigeria today to
get power while antagonizing or working at cross-purpose with the
majority of other Nigerians. It is impossible to get powerwhile
building a wall of hatred, antagonism, and bitterness. It is
impossible to access power while erecting reclusive garrisons around
oneself. We mustopen up, reach out to others and generate a
pan-country understanding that will tremendously assist us to realize
our just political ambition. How we play our cards in 2019 will
determine how ready we are for power and Ndigbo must start now to work
towards making the very best use of that golden opportunity.Posterity
will not spare Ndigbo if they fail again to make use of this golden
window.
Biafra? Perish that thought. It is an unrealizable utopia for now.
Peter Claver Oparah
Ikeja, Lagos.
E-mail: peterclaver2000@yahoo.com
·This article was first published in September 2017. The 2019 election
has come and gone and the question of Igbo presidency in 2023 has
risen to make there-publication of this article imperative.